Adopting a Dachshund in Nottingham: rescues, rules and costs

The number under the short answer counts Dachshunds and Dachshund crosses at rescues within about 25 miles of the city, and our Nottingham Dachshund page lists each one. When we checked on 26 October 2026, there were none, so most Nottingham adopters will go through the breed charity below. If you are open to another small breed, our Nottingham small dogs page lists what the rescues near the city have.

Its criteria page sets out conditions every applicant must meet, and it rejects applications that don't:

Owners give them up for reasons the charity's criteria page lists as divorce, bereavement, illness, a change in family circumstances or behaviour problems. It warns that many of its dogs arrive traumatised, anxious or insecure, often with separation anxiety, so they need someone at home most of the time and an adopter willing to help them recover, with its support.

It also asks for patience. Hundreds of its Dachshunds find homes every year, yet applicants still outnumber the dogs, so most people wait. It keeps your application on file for 12 months, so let it know if anything changes.

Dachshund Rescue UK vaccinates and chips its dogs and spays females, or sends them home with a spay agreement, but it doesn't routinely neuter males, so ask about yours and budget for it if needed. Its criteria page says the fee goes towards costs such as vet bills, medication, temporary boarding and transport.

Buying moves those costs to you. By law a breeder chips the puppy by 8 weeks, so that much is in the price; what isn't is the neutering, the boosters and the insurance, all paid after the £400 to £3,000 a puppy costs by Blue Cross's figures. With an adult, the rescue can often tell you about its back and its habits; a puppy has no such history.

Dogs Trust says Dachshunds are predisposed to intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), which is similar to a slipped disc in people and can press on the spinal cord, causing weakness, loss of balance or paralysis, usually in the back legs. Treatment ranges from pain relief, rest and physiotherapy to hydrotherapy or surgery, which is one reason to insure a rescue Dachshund from day one. In the RVC's DachsLife 2015 survey of 2,031 Dachshunds, owners reported IVDD in 15.7%, with the highest rate in standard smooth-haired dogs (24.4%) and the lowest in standard wire-haired dogs (7.1%). Questions for the rescue:

• Back history. Has the dog ever been weak, wobbly or slow to jump? The Royal Kennel Club runs an IVDD spine screening scheme for breeders, but a rescue dog's parents are unlikely to have been screened.
• Variety. Ask which of the six varieties the dog is, smooth, long or wire-haired in standard or miniature size, since the survey found the risk differed between them.
• Eyes. Miniature smooth-haired breeders are advised by The Royal Kennel Club to have eyes examined and to use the cord1 DNA test, which screens for a type of progressive retinal atrophy.

Dachshund Rescue UK's FAQ asks for three clear days at the start with no visitors and no plans to go out, then three weeks of ordinary family life without holidays or celebrations; after about three months, it says, the dog should be fully part of the family. It suggests not walking the dog for the first three days, letting it come to you for stroking and cuddles, and having it sleep in the same room as someone at first.

Prepare the house before the home check, which will look for escape routes in fences and gates: fit stair gates if you need them, add ramps to sofas and beds, cut down steps outside and set up a quiet corner for the dog to retreat to. Exercise needs are modest: Dogs Trust advises daily walks rather than long treks, and the miniature smooth-haired page from The Royal Kennel Club suggests no more than an hour a day, in a home as small as a small house.

Around Nottingham, searches for a Dachshund to buy far outnumber searches for a rescue one. Adoption works differently from a sale: the charity weighs your application against the dogs it has and asks a fee once a match is agreed. Any Dachshund on our Nottingham Dachshund page is there to be adopted, and as puppies rarely come up, an adult is the likelier match.

Buying instead? Ask to see the parents' spine screening results from the IVDD scheme, and book the pre-purchase consultation with a vet that Dogs Trust recommends, to hear about likely conditions and costs. Registered litters appear on The Royal Kennel Club's "Find a puppy" search. Report an advert you think is a scam to Report Fraud, the service that took over from Action Fraud.